One Small Town, Many Athletes: How Norwich Excels At Producing Olympians

Hannah Kearney of Norwich won a gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympic and a bronze in 2014.

Bela Szandelszky
/ AP

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As the Winter Olympics begin this week in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the U.S. team — as usual — will have a significant contingent of Vermonters. It's easy to forget how many world-class winter athletes live in the state. And many of them come from a single Vermont town.

Norwich, an Upper Valley town in Windsor County of about 3,000 people, has produced 11 Olympians, at least one in every winter games since 1984.

Karen Crouse is a New York Times sports reporter and the author of a new book looking at the Norwich Olympic phenomenon, called Norwich: One Tiny Vermont Town's Secret to Happiness and Excellence.